Taxi Driver Online

Birmingham could ban Uber if London licence renewal row is not resolved

Uber will be denied a new licence in Birmingham until a safety dispute in London is resolved, potentially setting a dangerous precedent for the ride-sharing giant in Britain.

The Birmingham licence expires at the end of this month. Uber has applied for a five-year extension. However, the city council will delay its decision until the outcome of Uber’s appeal against a banning order by Transport for London (TfL) is known, according to senior sources.

TfL stripped Uber of its licence in November after finding that more than 14,000 trips were taken with drivers who had faked their identity on the firm’s app. The company has been allowed to continue operating while it appeals against the decision.

Uber will also be allowed to operate in Birmingham until the appeal is heard. It is understood that the council has encountered no problems with the service, but it would be a “matter of concern” for the city if the TfL ban were upheld.

The move is a blow to Uber as it seeks to convince authorities that it is tackling complaints about passenger safety and its treatment of drivers. Birmingham is one of the Silicon Valley company’s biggest markets outside London and failure to secure a new deal would send a signal to other cities. Uber’s licence in Manchester expires next year.

Uber, which has a market value of $59.8bn (£45.9bn) and posted a third-quarter loss of $1.2bn in November, has fought regulators around the world for its right to operate, allowing newer rivals such as Bolt and Kapten to expand.

Dara Khosrowshahi, who became chief executive in 2017, has tried to soften some of the aggressive culture instilled by co-founder Travis Kalanick.

London, where there are 45,000 drivers, is the key battleground. TfL identified a “pattern of failures” that put customer safety at risk and said Uber “is not fit and proper at this time”. Uber described the decision as “extraordinary and wrong”.

Birmingham’s Labour-run council declined to comment. Uber would not comment on its licence in the city. It said it was “working closely with TfL to address their concerns and requests”.

_________________
IDFIMH

I still think the courts will rule in Ubers favour and it will be all back to normal

_________________
Taxis Are Public Transport too

Join the campaign to get April fools jokes banned for 364 days a year !

Not so sure. 50-50.

_________________
IDFIMH

Obviously the 'senior sources' not as senior as was thought, or were just talking nonsense. Looks like it was simply rubber-stamped:


Uber Birmingham: Taxi app firm has licence renewed

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-b ... m-51445360

Uber's licence to operate in Birmingham has been renewed, it has been revealed.

The city's council had said renewal was "likely" after questions were raised over its future, because the ride-hailing app firm has not been granted a new licence to operate in London.

Transport for London (TfL) told Uber in November it had made the decision after repeated safety failures.

Uber's general manager said she was "delighted" at the council's decision in Birmingham.

TfL rejected Uber's application after it found a change to its systems allowed unauthorised people to upload their photographs to legitimate driver accounts, enabling them to pick up passengers.

This resulted in 43 drivers making at least 14,000 uninsured trips and some of these drivers were unlicensed, TfL said.

One had received a police caution for distributing indecent images of children, it added.

Uber is appealing against the decision and is allowed to continue operating in London until that process is complete.

It has operated in Birmingham since 2015.

Following Birmingham City Council's decision, Melinda Roylett, UK and Ireland general manager, said: "There is nothing more important than the safety of the riders and drivers who use the Uber app, and we know that when it comes to safety, our work is never done."

A Birmingham City Council spokesman said: "We can confirm we have issued a 12-month licence."

kerching

_________________
Taxis Are Public Transport too

Join the campaign to get April fools jokes banned for 364 days a year !

I suspect most other Birmingham ops get 5 year licenses.

_________________
IDFIMH